Review: Sprawl V-Flex XT

Embroidered logo on front of shorts

When I started doing no gi BJJ, I wore a pair of soccer shorts that I had kicking around in the closet.  They were flimsy, didn't stay on very well, and tended to expose WAY too much leg when I was playing guard.  Clearly, they weren't going to cut it.  I asked around at the gym trying to find out what people seemed to prefer for this purpose.  I just wanted something comfortable, that was tough, and looked OK.  At least half the guys I talked to recommended sprawl, so that's what I ended up getting.  These V-Flex XT shorts have lasted me more than two years of weekly use and they look identical to the day that I got them.  The only thing that's even slightly worn is the drawstring.  Hard to beat that for longevity!

The fabric that they're made of is a heavy duty "stretch fabric" and it's got a little give to it so that when you come down hard on them at an awkward angle they really don't want to rip.  The material itself is smooth, soft, and breathes very well . . . keeping you cool when needed.  There are two panels sewn into the crotch made of a tough stretch material that give your legs complete freedom of motion (and I'm a pretty flexible guy).  The lightness of these shorts is really something that has to be experienced.  Crazy lightweight!  It almost feels like you're wearing nothing at all.

Inside of the shorts, showing off stitching and the tie string

Stitching is superb and heavily done, double and triple stitched in many places.  The waistband is about two inches thick, and elasticized.  After two years of heavy use the elastic still hasn't given up the ghost which is pretty impressive.  The logos are all stitched in, so there's no fading, no peeling, and they still look exactly the way they did when I bought the shorts.  There's also a pocket on the inside of the front waistband which I've never used.  Seems like a silly place to keep your keys or loose change when you're rolling . . . but hey, maybe you really hate your training partners and want to make guard that much more uncomfortable for them.  Who knows?

The closure system is some heavy duty velcro in addition to the shoestring type drawstring.  I just set the velcro to a comfortable position and then pulled the shorts on and off ever since I've got them, but the velcro has never come undone while rolling so I guess it's adequate.

Sizing was a little odd to me.  I usually fit between a 33 and 34 waist on my jeans, but when I contacted the guy at Sprawl he suggested I get a size 32.  The 32 fits just fine . . . maybe a hair looser than it could be, but I've never had any problem with them slipping down with the drawstring tightened up.

Side slit is pretty big

If I had to nitpick at any details, I'd say that the side slit is a bit higher than necessary.  It comes up 17 cm (6.5 inches for you guys who haven't figured out the metric system yet) which seems a tad higher than necessary.  This hasn't been an issue for me, but I don't think it would matter if they were made only half the height.

Great buy, definitely recommended.  Getting these shorts is a no brainer - just a fantastic product all around.  Since I'm going to do some more no gi classes I recently ordered another pair of Sprawls (the Fusion 2 Fight Shorts) so I'll review those once I've had time to roll in them for a while.

Vital Stats:
Total Height of Pants: 19.5 inches
Side Slit: 6.5 Inches
Inseam: 8.5 inches
Leg opening diameter: 13.75 inches